There’s something about listening to a woman tear her heart open onstage…husky voice dripping in longing, captivating eyes staring out at the audience, that is truly beautiful.

Women with soul speak for all of us who have gone through heartbreak, fallen in love, cried on the bathroom floor when our hearts fell into the pit of our stomachs after seeing our ex with his new girl… We’ve all been there, and the women who sing about it have been there too, putting everything we’ve cried and screamed about into words.

Though there are always the classics; Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald among countless others, there are women breaking new ground with the same grit, the same heart-wrenching confessions at the mic, and the same beautiful voices gliding over bossa nova grooves, brass, and funky drum beats.

These women have it all. So light some candles, pour yourself a glass of wine and feel empowered, cry, remember, whatever…they’ll take you somewhere and I promise they’ll hold your heart in the palm of their hands the entire time.

*Duffy: when I say she’s going to give Amy Winehouse a run for her money, I mean it.

Download: Rockferry and Mercy Read More »